Garden designer’s book helps keep the kids busy outdoors

Want to hold a snail race in the back garden? No, it’s not an Alice in Wonderland fantasy, but a real possibility. Draw two chalk circles, one within the other.

Line up your snails — each with a different-coloured little sticker on their shells — on the outer circle, facing in toward the inner one, and watch them go!

And, of course, keep them out of the sun and put them back where you got them after the ‘race’ is over, says Dawn Isaac, the author of a new book, 101 Things For Kids To Do Outside.

British-based Isaac is an award-winning garden designer and the mother of three young children, and she says she spends much of her time coming up with new ways to persuade them to go outside.

This is evident in the many playful, imaginative suggestions in the book, which is packed with games, projects, craft, experiments and gardening ideas.

The author’s light-hearted, non condescending tone towards the younger reader (together with accompanying, glossy photos of children having great fun with every project), is infectious — appealing to the fifty-something child in me. I wanted to go out and tackle some straight away.

Her absolute love of the outdoors permeates the book with a magical enthusiasm and I can’t wait to try out some of the activities with my grandchildren.

She injects even older, classic past-times with a more modern take; drawing on flagstones with chalk, for example, becomes creating “a paving stone gallery”, with Isaac sensibly declaring “felt tips might be more glamorous, but no-one is going to yell at you for leaving the tops off your chalk”.

Among the 101 ways to have fun are: making flower fairies; having a blindfold water-pistol shootout; brewing your own plant food; making autumn-leaf crowns, painting rocks, and creating wellie fashion by giving boots (the “cinderellas of the footwear world”) a “fairy godmother makeover”.

The lure of the outdoors isn’t confined to having a back garden either; lots of this fun stuff can be done in local parks, the beach, or other public areas.

At the back of the book, Isaac has outlined various categories, each with an index to relevant projects, according to season, duration, age suitability and occasion — such as for parties or play-dates.

It’s worth noting that the author also has a popular blog in the same vein at: www.littlegreenfingers.com.

101 Things For Kids To Do Outside, 14.99 stg, (€18.78)